Mama's Binder

About a month ago I came across my old old "control journal" that I created several years ago and I just put it on the shelve in the classroom. It had been modified and changed many times. It started as a fly lady type journal and changed as our life changed. The last time I used it was in 2005. A very traumatic year for us and it shows by the entries in the calender etc. I had since changed the binder to fit my needs and purchased a pretty purple one. (the one I have been using) As I went through my current schedule and routines today, I realized that pretty much none of it was working since I am now homeschooling. :) Can you say revelation????

I have been printing some pretties and working on the schedule and routines. I also realize I'm going to have to push myself harder on the days that I work to stick to it. I'm excited!!!! I have one binder for "home keeper" stuff, one for "Spiritual" stuff (Bible study, sermon notes etc) and one for Homeschool stuff. I just can't see toting a binder big enough to hold all that, so I separated it a long time ago. They are all 2 inch binders. I still need a larger one for the Bible study. :/

Just an update.

Be blessed!!

Random Randy

Since I really don't have time to write anything significant and my class is running wild today (love ADHD kids and their need to move their bodies), I thought I would just post randomness today.

• Homeschool is going well, I think. I kept wondering am I doing the right thing? Am I doing what I need to be doing? Would they really learn more in ps? Then my 10th grader who has hated and struggled with math from the beginning received her Math U See program, Epsilon. Yes her testing said she had to go back that far even though she passed algebra 1 in PS with a barely passing D. (don't ask how I feel about passing a kid with a D-it won't be pretty) She watched her first session and was like, "oh!!!" It was a eureka moment. Now I can't keep her away from her math work. Yep, maybe it was the right thing after all. :)

• I found a great site called sizzle bop. I have 3 sizzlers and sometimes my life spins out of control while trying to wrangle them. I'm excited about it. I know it's a minor thing but I like it anyway. (sizzler=ADHD in our case-fully diagnosed) I'm glad to know that I'm not alone and that stopping school half way through the day because 2 or more kids are unable to focus for the need to move their bodies is not as bad as I thought. This one little fact helped to influence my decision to school year round with more frequent breaks.

• Has anyone else felt the ground rattling lately? I don't know about where you are but around here, God has really been moving and shaking! It's exciting to see God work that way.

• Scheduling and getting every thing done is just not happening. Don't know why, it's just not. I can't seem to be effective at homeschool, housekeeping, and work. :/ I know it can be done. I just don't have the right formula yet. :) I only work part time, so that is pretty easy except that keeping my uniform clean isn't. I have finally caught up on the regular standard household laundry. :) that took more loads of laundry than I care to admit to. I have always been a routine kinda gal but I can't get it going right now. I have to adjust too much daily to really have everything in a routine. I'm miserable because when things are disorganized, I can't function. I have even considered canceling school for a week to get organized. I need to get rid of some junk too. I get the classroom all organized and pretty and before the end of the week I'm buried in stuff again.

• I work with a guy who is not just an atheist but very anti God. He is often offensive, rude and obnoxious, and not just about "religion". He seems to do these things to get a reaction from people, trying to make them angry. Once such instance of his behavior was when I first started working there, I was cleaning and minding my own business and he came up and started yelling, in front of customers in a chanty sort of way, "God is a cult, get out of the cult!" repeatedly. He has tried numerous times to "get my goat", pushing more and more buttons but he has never been able to fluster me. :) Monday night at work, he was asking questions about my beliefs and why etc. In a very non offensive way, he was curious. I pray that I will always be able to answer his questions from scripture and to be able to do so and to carry myself as the woman of God I am. God is so good, he turned this offensive, anti God person into a curious person. Is he a convert? not YET. :)

• Candy at My Blessed Home has been writing a series on Christians and the Torah that I find interesting and thought provoking. I love her! Here is the link. It's the first of the series.

• Stickers are my friend. The boys seem to get more done when they have stickers as a reward. Even the 10 year old. :) He is doing much better since we have been doing a sort of modified workbox system. He breezes through his assignments now.

Well that's all I have time for. I have so many ideas but so little time since I have bread to make and a house to clean! I hope to be able to get organized and routine so I can write more (ok and think more). Any suggestions are welcome! I just know that God is really blessing us right now and I have seen him move so much lately that I get awestruck at the greatness of Him!! I so want to write about what I have learned and what God is doing. It requires a bit of concentration and my little sizzler isn't having that today. I love my Taz, he is so full of life and love!

Be Blessed!

Biblical Wifely Submission

Hummm.....Now that is a difficult subject. I have struggled and struggled with this for years. In some areas I have made quite a bit of progress but in others I still catch myself not honoring my dear husband. It's usually small areas, but the little foxes spoil the vines. With the lives of children in the balance, I feel like I need to "step it up" a bit.

It's funny though, until two or three years ago I had never been taught to submit and honor my husband. We all know what my first response was. . . out right rebellion! Then I began to seek out God's word on the subject and realized this was what I should be doing. The problem was that it had never been modeled for me. I had no idea what this was supposed to look like or feel like. So I began to look for it in other women. So I learned what it was by studying the word and other godly women. I also learned that I wasn't the only one that struggled in this area.

Some men make it harder to submit or honor them by their actions and spiritual position. It's even harder to submit when our husbands aren't honoring God, or anyone else for that matter. What I did notice in God's word is that it doesn't say honor your husband only when he is right or not being verbally abusive or sinning. It just said to do it.

I recently came across an online study for A Wife's Biblical Submission. (I think I may have seen it before) It's a weekly lesson so I'm going to do it. My schedule seems to be quite fluid at this point, lacking anything that resembles structure so it seems to be a good time. My home school schedule is wildly varying, my work schedule changes, my husbands work schedule has never been predictable. So During my quiet time at night, I will be working on this study.

Any one want to join me?

What Does It Matter

This was written by my 17 year old daughter:

What does it matter that she smelled like she hadn't showered in weeks?
What does it matter that he had wiskey on his breath?
What does it matter that she had fresh cuts on her wrists?

What does it matter that you have condemned the just?
What does it matter that you have betrayed your family?
What does it matter that you have judged God's children with false power?

What does it matter that I have lived like hell?
What does it matter that I have broken my word?
What does it matter that I have wanted to take my life?

We have all fallen short of the Glory of God
but there is a difference in lived it and living it
What does it matter of the past
when the future is more important?.
Not one soul surpasses the power of God
It's ok to roll in dirt but eventually you need to let God wash you clean
One day every knee will bow, are you going to wait until the trumpet sounds?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~by 3P